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Once upon a time, a long, long time ago.....Waaaay back in the 15th century, a certain type of orange clay was called "Pygg". Many useful items were made from this clay, including plates, bowls, jars and pots. Whenever someone could save an extra coin, they would drop it into one of their clay "pygg" jars. They called this their pygg bank or their piggy bank. The name stuck long after different kinds of clay were put into use. Years later, a potter was asked to make a pygg bank. Not knowing exactly what that was, and having a sense of humor, the potter made a bank in the shape of a pig. The idea caught on, and the potter was asked to make more and thus the "piggy" bank was born. The trend was the 18th century equivalent of the pet rock ... but much longer-lived. So much longer, in fact, that today there are literally hundreds of styles of piggy banks, and even people who exclusively collect piggy banks. Some vintage, hand-painted banks are valued into the hundreds of dollars, making the piggy bank an ideal investment opportunity for young and old alike.
Did You Know????Pygg, the clay, and pig, the animal, took their names from the same root word. One is clay made from mud, and the other is the animal who lived in mud. Long ago, in German speaking countries, the piggy bank was used as a reward.....craftsmen gave their apprentices piggy banks to reward them for years of learning their respective profession. To this day, in the same countries, it is customary to give piggy banks as gifts. Because the belief that a pig brings luck still holds true, at New Years, the so-called "Lucky Pigs" are still exchanged as gifts. Along the same lines, the gift of a piggy bank is said to be good luck, and the custom of giving piggy banks is still practiced today. In Holland, children saved money given to them in a pig-shaped earthenware box which was not opened until Christmas. Known as the Feast Pig, it was the "ancestor" of our modern day piggy bank. When the child opened it, she was rewarded with an assortment of "wealth" and "riches" that had been saved over the entire year. Want to Make Your Own Piggy Bank?(This craft is just for fun and will NOT producea piggy bank that is long-lasting ceramic or can be fired.)
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Copyright ©1999-2008 Lynn Korff, Korff Ceramic
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